Week 9 – Sun 30th November

Well, I’m nine weeks in now. Just to remind you all, I started the ketogenic diet at 15 stone, 10 pounds. My goal is 12 and a half stone, by mid-March 2015. This means a target weight-loss of 2lb per week.

Week Nine’s target-weight therefore? 14 stone, 6 pounds. It’s also the second of my once monthly ‘waistline measurements’ today, which is always nerve-racking!

When I started the diet, my waist-circumference was 45 inches. All the the health-literature states that if your waist is above 40 inches, then you enter the danger-zone for developing coronary heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. This is something I am keen to avoid; plus I hate the ‘pot-bellied’ look, which was starting to creep in. On the health front, my partner is a type 1 diabetic; so if I developed type 2 through poor lifestyle choices, then that would be a slap in the face to both him and me!

The tape-measure Is a different kettle of fish entirely from the weighing-scales! With regards weight, there’s no ‘negotiation’ in the process. The scales say what they say, there’s no getting out of it! The tape-measure is a little more open to interpretation. A series of questions present themselves – have I measured at exactly the same point as last time…? Is the tape completely level…? Am I breathing in too much; or have I pushed my stomach out artificially to capture the ‘worst case scenario’…? It is an exercise in frank self-honesty, which is never easy.

And so I stand in front of the mirror & ask myself all the above questions. I look down at the tape, ‘hum & ha’ a little, then take the average of about 10 measurements – 43 inches definitely! I’ve lost two inches from the circumference of my waistline, which is fantastic! Just three more to go before I’m out of the danger zone.

This ‘waist-shrinkage’ also accounts for the fact that everyone’s saying ‘I’ve lost a lot of weight’. My trousers are sitting far more comfortably, and a belt-notch has gone down (I love when that happens).

So with regards the actual pounds and ounces, how have I fared? I step tentatively onto the scales…

14 stone, 10 pounds. Another pound off! The downward trend is continuing and this week’s reading presents a 1lb weight-loss from last week. I may be 4lb behind target, but that really doesn’t bother me. I’m losing weight and that’s all that counts. I’m now a full stone lighter than I was nine weeks ago. The one-stone milestone has been crossed!!!

I’ve already accepted that this will all take longer than I’d first estimated. Weight-loss clearly slows down the older you get. In my twenties, just cutting out bread for a week would shift a couple of pounds. Nowadays, the body seems reluctant to slim down and takes it one slow step at a time…

A lot of people have said to me that the body can only tolerate a 1-2 loss per week. These figures would support that statement, which is positive. The ketostix are still showing a dark purple a lot of the time, so I can be sure that the weight-loss is body-fat; not just water!

Am I experiencing diet-fatigue? Not at all. The ketogenic-diet is incredibly easy to follow. The food is delicious and varied, so much so that this in no way feels like a diet! The plan is to eat liberally from the ketogenic ‘food pool’ and not worry about portion-size or cutting things out. That’s certainly what I’m doing, and I’m still losing weight.

In summary, I’m feeling incredibly motivated and wouldn’t go back to old my old ‘carb-ridden’ ways for all the tea in China! My one big challenge will be an impending holiday.

I’m off to Germany to visit the Christmas Markets in 10 days, and that will be hard. Germany is the land of beer & carb-laden foods, so I anticipate I may waiver a little and partake in some mulled-wine and wonderful German beer! Until then however, my resolve is firm!

Please do ‘look in’ on me next week to see if I make further progress towards my targets. I find it really positive to have people read this – the support is a massive encouragement!

Thank you so much for the wonderful comment. It’s really gratifying to receive positive feedback. I still can’t believe there are people out there keen to read about what I cook & whether I’m losing weight or not! Your message was a lovely thing to receive. If there had been something out there to help advise me what to expect through all this, it would have been a real help at the beginning. If I can pass that onto others then I’m thrilled to do so. Keep reading for more recipes & to follow my progress.Thank you again, Adam.